The licenses for all 19 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands expire in June. There will only be 7 farms left in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023, at which point their tenure ends unless they can obtain First Nations approval and Department of Fisheries licences. That leaves an estimated 79 salmon farms throughout the province, and all of their licenses come up for renewal on June 30, 2022.
Continue reading Potential elimination of open-net salmon farm sector in sightTag Archives: DFO
B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Quadra Island oyster farmer Steve Pocock believes B.C.’s shellfish sector is facing a watershed moment.
West Coast growers have endured a tough couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic dried up demand from restaurants and international markets, and extreme temperatures in June cooked countless beach-grown oysters and clams alive in their shells.
And now growers have another sink or swim dilemma — the need to change farming practices and tackle marine debris created by the shellfish sector, said Pocock, who is also president of the BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA).
Continue reading B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
FOCI’s Forage Fish Monitoring project
At the January 20th Annual general meeting of the Friends of Cortes Island society, or FOCI, Arlene Tompkins gave a presentation on the Forage Fish Monitoring project.
Continue reading FOCI’s Forage Fish Monitoring project
Coastal communities ‘fed up’ with B.C. shellfish sector’s plastics problem
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Coastal communities are tired of paying to clean up plastic and debris from the B.C. shellfish industry to protect the marine environment, stewardship groups say.
The amount of garbage being retrieved from beaches in areas where shellfish aquaculture is concentrated grows year after year, and there’s little apparent enforcement by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to deal with the issue, said Dorrie Woodward, chair of the Association for Denman Island Marine Stewards (ADIMS).
Continue reading Coastal communities ‘fed up’ with B.C. shellfish sector’s plastics problem
Food fishery flounders: low returns
qathet Living, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Each year since the Tla’amin salmon hatchery was built in 1977, members of the Nation have received an allotment of food fish.
The food fish program uses salmon that pass through the hatchery, explains Tla’amin hatchery technician Scott Galligos.
The amount of food fish Tla’amin receives is determined by Tla’amin’s final agreement treaty with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and is based on percentage, fish type, and population.
Continue reading Food fishery flounders: low returns